OTP Challenges: The Uncompleted List
by vanpie
Summary: If you foolishly believe that the mighty Gold Saints may back down from challenges of goddess Aphrodite, then I shall remind you that they, the holy knights with divine power, can conquer any great enemies, on any fierce battlefields. Even when it is the battlefield of love.
1. Chapter 1

_Main pairing will be ShakaMu with mention of AioliaMarin and MiloAphrodite_

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**Don't let those eyelashes fool you**

'Okay, well done everyone, let's call it a day!' Shouted Saga.

Upon hearing his words, the little Gold Saints immediately ran from their spots towards the exit of the training field. After a hard afternoon training, all the boys were so hungry for food, they excitedly ran to the dining room, in hope they could get the delicious dessert dishes before the others got them. Better hurried up because everyone knew Aldebaran and Aiolia ate like horses after training. The once crowded field quickly became deserted, only two little silhouettes still slowly walked up the stairs, hand in hand.

When Shaka and Mu entered the dining room, most of the other boys had already finished their main dishes and now having dessert. Aiolia and Milo were fighting over the last piece of shortcake and Aldebaran looked up at them over a huge pile of empty bowls and plates with a look of pity.

'You guys are so slow, Milo has eaten all the good stuff.'

'Hey not me alone! Look at you and Aiolia!' Little Milo shouted in protest and threw an angry look at the Taurus, while Aiolia seized the opportunity to steal the cake in his hand.

'It's okay, friends.'

Mu smiled at them then headed to the table at the corner along with Shaka. It was not so much of a problem to them, since both were vegetarians while the other boys mostly liked meat or fish. The two boys chatted joyfully while enjoying their food and quickly, Camus also joined them as he decided he had had enough of Milo.

A few months ago, this scene was still somewhat strange to everyone. As Mu and Shaka were the only Asian kids in the Golden Order, they had some difficulties in getting used to the new environment, especially Shaka since he followed a totally different religion. But now they got along well with the other Saints. The only problem left was Shaka's habit of keeping his eyes closed, it intrigued the other boys. No matter how many times Shaka said that he was not blind and he could still 'see' things through cosmo, those answers could not satisfy the others' curiosity. And that surely pissed Shaka off.

Looking over his table, Milo saw that Shaka had now left to give his and Mu's plates to the kitchen lady. The other boys had already gone back to their temples, only Mu was sitting there, waiting for Shaka to come back together. The little Scorpio timidly approached Mu and asked.

'Hey, Mu.'

'Yes, Milo?'

'You know, Shaka said he could still feel things through his cosmo, but...' he hesitated '...if that's true then why does he still need you help? You're holding his hand all the time.'

'Ah, that's because Shaka can feel cosmos of living beings, but he has some troubles with objects like building or stairs, though.' Mu explained calmly. Out of the other boys, Milo was the one who often annoyed Shaka the most with his questions. No surprise he asked him this time instead of Shaka, the Virgo might just ignore him.

'I see, but why not open his eyes? It'd be much easier.'

'Well, he told me that if he did then there would be a huge amount of cosmo released. That's why he rarely opens his eyes.' Mu answered as he recalled Shaka's words. He had seen Shaka's opened eyes a few times before, but maybe the other Gold Saints had not.

'That ... that is so cool!' Milo nearly exploded at what he just heard. 'So Shaka can destroy things with deadly laser beam from his eyes, that is super cool, man!'

'That's not it, Milo ...' Mu was about to explain but Milo quickly grabbed his hand and dragged him to the door.

'You'll go with Shaka to his temple then go back, right? It's gonna take a long time. Just let me do it for you, my temple is closer to his.' The Scorpio boy grinned widely and pushed the Aries toward the exit.

'But ... is this alright?' Mu looked at Milo with suspicion.

'Yes yes, leave it to me. Bye, Mu!' Milo waved at Mu then headed back to find Shaka. He was so eager to see Shaka's super cool eyes. It was quite a long way from here to the Virgo temple, he was sure he could convince the Indian boy.

Meanwhile, Shaka came back to his table but could not find Mu, he was wondering where the Aries boy could go when he felt Milo's cosmo approaching.

'Yo, Shaka!' Milo greeted cheerfully.

'Milo, have you seen Mu?'

'Oh, he already went back to his temple.'

'Already?' Shaka frowned slightly. It was unlike Mu to leave first without saying anything to him. But then he suddenly felt Milo push him forward.

'Don't worry dude. I'll take you home today. There's a lot of cool stuff we can discuss on the way back.' Milo quickly dragged Shaka outside but the blond snapped his hand away when he felt Mu's cosmo near the door. Mu was still here as he somewhat worried about Shaka. The Indian boy immediately understood the Scorpio's intention. He then took a few steps closer to the blue-haired boy and slowly opened his eyes.

Milo instantly stepped back as he felt the sudden danger getting closer. Shaka's immense cosmo energy made him unable to say a word.

'First, do not ever touch me again.' Shaka growled.

'Second, do not ever sabotage me and Mu again.' Shaka did not move an inch but his voice was dangerous and intimidating enough. 'Is that clear?'

Milo nodded, still too shocked to say anything.

'Good.' Shaka smiled and closed his eyes, his voice was back to the normal calm tone. The Virgo quickly turned around to catch up with his Aries friend, he grabbed the Tibetan boy's hand and happily headed back to his temple, totally ignored little Milo who was now dumbfounded.

_ Day 1, Holding hands: Challenge Accomplished._

-xx-

**Bijinkei(*)**

Shaka took a sip of his favorite jasmine tea, but felt almost no taste lingered on his tongue as he was too focused on the person at the other side of the table. The Virgo gentleman could not take his eyes off his opponent as the lavender-haired beauty took a white stone between his long, delicate fingers and placed it on the board in an elegant movement.

It was a deadly move, aimed for the land on his lower left, but at the same time, a high risk. The blond raised an eyebrow slightly, realized the balance and slow pace from the start had finally been broken by Mu's last move. Quickly took a black stone and placed it in a defensive position, Shaka then looked up at Mu, could not hide his surprise.

'I did not think that you would make such a risky move. The land in the center is now left uncared.'

Mu just smiled sweetly while taking another stone and continued to attack Shaka's lower left part. 'And I did not think you would just defend, instead of seizing the chance to attack the center.'

'Seems like we all made wrong assumptions.' Shaka chuckled then placed a stone near the center part. It was a teasing move, not an attack but certainly not a defence either. It looked almost like a wasted move. Almost.

The Tibetan hesitated a little at his opponent's strange move. Shaka often used extraordinary tactics but to this point he could not see how the Virgo would expand from this move. After some moments, Mu decided that he would just continue to follow his plan. He put down the white stone decisively but when he was about to take his hand back, he felt Shaka's fingers touching his gently.

'Are you sure with that move, Aries Mu?' The blond leaned forward and asked in a husky voice.

'Very, Virgo Shaka.' Mu replied charmingly. He even played with Shaka's fingers a bit before completely taking his hand back. The Aries smiled in triumph seeing the Virgo gentleman startled at his touch.

It was so unusual of Mu to be that bold, but Shaka found no reason to dislike it, no, he absolutely liked it. The blond went back to defend his lower left. He decided to be particularly careful, as this angelic lamb seemed to be a lot more dangerous today.

The two continued with the fight in the lower left part for a while, long enough for Shaka to realize that Mu was wearing a low-cut tunic today. The sunlight that shone through the thin curtains enhanced the fairness of his skin, the silky lavender hair was held in a loose braid, fell down gracefully over his left shoulder. The Indian man was lost in thought when a dulcet voice knocked him back to reality.

'Shaka, it's your turn.'

'Oh, right.'

Shaka felt a bit embarrassed. He quickly grabbed a black stone but when he looked back at the board, he realized he was in a dangerous situation. Not paying enough attention during the last two moves, he did not see that Mu had cleverly blocked all the way around the stone in the center, which he intended to place there for a later attack. The Aries had seen through his plan, now he could no longer touch the center part. After considering carefully, Shaka decided to expand to the lower right part, if everything went well, he could use this to attack the upper right land later.

Mu chuckled when seeing Shaka put the stone down. Taking another white stone, he knew exactly where to place it but not moving immediately. Mu played with it between his long fingers, knowing Shaka's eyes were following every of his movements.

'You will lose if you don't pay enough attention.' Said the Aries, then leaned forward to place the stone down.

Shaka felt Mu's sweet jasmine scent as the Tibetan leaned closer. His collar was a little lower due to his movement, showing off a bit more of his bare chest.

'_It's dangerous.' _

The Virgo told himself. He was looking at the board, trying to analyze Mu's last move but his brain somehow did not co-operate. The image of Mu's chest still lingered in his mind.

As a result, Shaka did not see Mu's attack coming, when he came back to defend his upper left, it was already too late. He still took control of the lower right part but the situation was getting more and more complicated, if Mu could connect his stones then it would be the end.

'Are you going to move, Shaka?' Mu asked. Emerald eyes stared directly at the bright blue ones. It was Shaka's turn and the man had stayed still for several minutes.

'It's not necessary.' Shaka replied, he could already see how this would end. 'You win.'

_ Day 3, Gaming: Challenge Accomplished_

-xx-

**Unexpected lesson**

'_You are the brightest star in the Milky Way, the most beautiful rose in the immense garden. Even the Goddess of love might have been envious of your beauty. Oh my love, my angel, I do not think I could live without you...' _

'Bullshit!'

Aphrodite hissed as he crumpled the letter he was yet to finish reading and tossed it to the nearest trash can. The Pisces saint was only fourteen but his alluring beauty had soon bloomed. Even though he was a boy, his beauty was far beyond any woman's and anyone would be charmed upon seeing him once. The rumour of a ravishingly beautiful Saint had spread across the Sanctuary. Thus, the bluenette received tons of love letters and proposals everyday, which made him extremely annoyed.

Walking down the stair from the Pisces temple, the Swedish tended to find his best friend, Cancer DeathMask. He had had enough of those stupid letters and he really needed someone to pour out his anger on. But when he reached the Scorpio temple, a certain Milo was already waiting there.

'_Oh not again.'_ Murmured he. It was too late to turn back now, Milo had seen him.

'Hey Aphrodite, how are you doing?' The Scorpio greeted in a certainly flirty voice. He was only twelve but already became a handsome boy with traits of a lady-killer, which could help him to charm any lady. Any lady, that meant not including Aphrodite.

'Move, Scorpio. I don't have time to play with you.' The Pisces said coldly and hurriedly walked to the door. Of course he was stopped by Milo right before he could reach it.

'Even though you're still beautiful with your angry face, I'd say you're much more charming when you smile. Care to tell me the reason why?'

'It's because of your-freaking-presence.' Aphrodite scowled, he didn't hesitate to push Milo aside and stomped out of the Scorpio temple.

However, the Greek boy had not given up yet, he ran after Aphrodite and blocked his way again. Milo was younger but his height was around the same as Aphrodite's. He held one of the bluenette's wrists firmly, prevented him from running away.

'No need to be shy around me. Say, beautiful, what can I do for you?' Milo looked right into Aphrodite's eyes and said shamelessly. He totally knew the Pisces would just give him a slap right away but he did not care. After all, he was used to it anyways.

'How about you go and kill yourself right now?' Aphrodite clenched his fist. He was fed up with all those suitors and the last thing he needed now was a twelve-year-old Scorpio boy trying to court him.

'Oh darling I'd love to fulfill your request but how can I leave you alone, suffering from a lonesome life of a widow?'

Aphrodite must admit, for a twelve-year-old boy, Milo surely got a lot of courage. And patience. He could not remember how many times he had shooed Milo away with insults and even violence. Yet the boy still appeared in front of him whenever he could, with his unchangeable shameless smile and queasy pick-up lines.

Knowing Milo's stubbornness could take him whole day, the Pisces reluctantly toned down. 'Okay, what do you want? I need to leave now, hurry up and let me go.'

'Oh does that mean I can do anything I want?' Milo leaned closer to the bluenette, their faces were just inches apart.

'Do not distort my words, Scorpio, hey, you...' Aphrodite suddenly felt Milo's breath on his cheek, the boy's face was dangerously close. 'Don't you dare, Milo-'

'Just a kiss, darling, no big deal.' Milo cut out Aphrodite's words, he slowly closed the distance between them and place a kiss on the bluenette's ...cheek.

'Huh?' was all Aphrodite could say after the so-called-kiss. He was closing his eyes, waiting in fear for something much scarier but instead he just felt a light touch on his cheek.

'That's all?' asked Aphrodite.

'Uhm... yeah?' Milo replied confusedly. He was now clearly blushing.

'Oh my Goddess, Milo ...' The Pisces burst out laughing, maybe he had overestimated the Scorpio. He was still a little boy after all.

When Milo was still puzzled, the Swedish saint grabbed his collar and pulled him closer. 'Watch and learn, Scorpio.' He said then kissed the younger boy passionately, this time of course, on the lips.

After some moments, Aphrodite broke the kiss and pushed Milo away. 'That's what you do when you want to charm someone.' He said with a devilish smirk then turned around and left, knowing perfectly that Milo was madly blushing.

The Scorpio was stunned for several minutes. When he finally gained some strength to stand up and go back to his temple, he blushed again as he realized it was actually his first kiss.

'_I wonder if it was Aphrodite's first kiss, too.'_ Milo whispered to himself, secretly hoped it was true.

Not so far from this, behind a large tree near the Scorpio temple, a blond Indian boy had witnessed everything. Virgo Shaka was on his way from the Pope temple back to his own when he sensed Milo and Aphrodite's cosmos collided.

'_So that's how it should be done to charm someone.' _The blond thought. It was a universal truth revealed to him. He left the tree and hurriedly ran back. _'I must find Mu.' _

_ Day 5, Kissing: Challenge Accomplished_

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_(*)Bijinkei: bijinkei in Japanese or honeypot is one of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, a Chinese series of stratagems used in politics and war. It uses beautiful women to cause chaos and distraction within the enemy's side. If you are confused then in this story, Shaka and Mu were playing Go, a strategic board game originated in China. _

_This is the ficlet series I'm working on with the themes come from the "30 Days OTP Challenge" list and uncompleted because I won't do all 30 themes, I just pick up some of them which I think I can do best. _

_Thank you for reading. _


	2. Chapter 2

**Warning: the last part is pure smut, which may disturb some of you.**

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**Virgo Shaka's winter solution**

Shaka disliked cold weather. Everyone knew that, everyone could guess that.

Born in India, grew up by the bank of the sacred Ganges, he was the brightest son of Surya(*). Wherever he went, the sun lights longed for kissing his bronze skin and envied his golden hair. Shaka's presence alone was more intense than the heat of a thousand suns. To cover that magnificent body with thick and coarse winter clothes was certainly a sin. Because beauty was meant to be exposed.

Yet sarcastically, there he was, the proud demigod, wandering around Jamir which was said to be the land of snow and eternal winter.

'For god's sake, Shaka, would you please put on more warm clothes next time you come?' Mu could not help feeling irritated upon seeing the Virgo came to his tower, wearing only a thin silk robe.

'I'm fine, Mu.' Shaka replied calmly, though he quickly settled himself in front of the fireplace while silently cursing the weather. He was a strong warrior, the deadly cold of Jamir could not kill him, however it did not mean it would do him no harm. The golden skin had already turned pale and his hand hands were frozen.

'Can I have some tea, love?' The Virgo asked, this time softer, knowing the Aries was looking at him furiously.

Shaka did not receive any response, he just heard Mu's steps as he walked to the kitchen. It was the umpteenth time he came to visite Mu like this, every time the Aries complained that Shaka did not pay attention to his health, and the Virgo just replied simply '_I don't have winter clothes' _or _'I don't feel cold at all'_, while the true reason was just because he hated wearing thick clothes_._ To Shaka, that was the same as a confession of getting defeated by the cold. A prideful demigod like him, there was no way he admitted that. But certainly, the blond had to pay a quite high price for his arrogance. As this kind of things kept repeating, today Shaka's stubbornness surely got on Mu's nerve.

A few minutes later, Mu came back with two cups of tea in his hands. He still refused to talk to Shaka, just simply handed him the cup then turned away. But Shaka of course wouldn't let him get away that easily. Holding Mu's hand firmly, the demigod kissed it longingly.

'Thank you, angel.' He said, bright blue eyes opened, looking straight at his lover.

Mu just snapped his hand away and stood up, making Shaka somewhat frustrated. The Virgo chuckled lightly then started to drink his tea, in his thought, there would going to be a long night trying to make up with Mu. But much to his surprise, the beautiful Aries slowly took off the warm coat he was wearing and put it around the Virgo's shoulders.

'Wear this the next time you come.' Was all the Tibetan said before leaving the blond to continue his unfinished work.

Shaka smiled sweetly, though Mu's voice was cold, he knew he was going to be forgiven. Putting on the coat properly, the blond felt ecstasied at the sudden warmth and the sweet scent from the coat, Mu's scent. He hated those coarse clothes but if it was Mu's then it was truly a bless.

Minutes later when Shaka was all recovered, he left the living room and sneaked into Mu's workshop, started to sabotage the green-eyed's work.

'Mu, I'm cold.' Shaka fakely whined, his arms around the Aries, pulling him into a tight hug from the back. 'Warm me up, love.'

'Oh really? Aren't you the mighty Virgo Shaka who traveled all the way to Jamir with no warm clothes?' The Aries replied coldly while continuing with his work, totally ignore the blond's affectionate touch.

'But I'm cold now, as my lover is ignoring me.' Shaka said as he lowered his head and started kissing Mu's shoulder, causing him to shudder.

Mu sighed deeply. Finally he turned around to face Shaka. 'Even your lips are so cold.' His voice was still sulky but full of worriment.

'That's why I need you to warm me up.' Shaka again tightened his embrace around Mu's waist. 'Or else I think I'm catching a cold.' His hand wandered on the Aries's back, finding a way to get under his shirt.

'Shaka!' Mu hissed, slightly pushed the Virgo away with both hands. 'I'm serious.'

'I know I know, love, I have a coat right now, I'm wearing it next time.' Shaka grinned shamelessly while trying hard to hold back the urge to kiss Mu's pouty lips. 'You have my words, now can we?'

'Remember you promised, Shaka.'

With that Mu gave up, secretly blamed himself for being such a softy toward Shaka. He threw his arms around the blond's neck and welcomed his lips on his own. After all, they did not get to see each other so frequently. He missed him.

And for Shaka, well, he still disliked winter and would keep disliking it no matter what, but he found no reason to avoid it. As long as Mu was here, cold was no problem.

_Day 6, Wearing each others' clothes: Challenge Accomplished._

-xx-

**You shouldn't have been alive**

Walking down the stairs toward the Leo temple, Shaka wondered if Aiolia was there. Deep in his mind, he secretly felt grateful that his temple was close to Aiolia's. Time had passed since they first met as kids, and the two Gold Saints had gone from mere acquaintances to close friends. Though their friendship was much more violent and intense than other normal best friends, as Aiolia was so hot-headed and Shaka liked to make fun of him, in general they were still best friends.

'Hey, Shaka!' Aiolia greeted.

'Aiolia.' Shaka nodded. 'I didn't think I could find you here today.'

'And I didn't think you would come here to find me today.' The Leo replied, he already knew exactly why Shaka came to his temple. 'Have some beer then?'

Shaka nodded again. Normally he would say no to alcoholic beverages, but today was a special occasion. And after all, sitting with your best friend with no alcohol was not a very common thing.

Today was sunday, a very beautiful sunday to be noted. Clear sky with not a single cloud, the sun shone lightly, warmed up the cool autumn weather. In short, it was a perfect day for dating. Therefore, two handsome gentlemen, who were absolutely not single, stayed at home and drank beer on such a beautiful day like this, that scene was absolutely not compatible with the context.

'What's with that bruise on your face? Not from training I guess?' Shaka questioned as he received a glass of beer from Aiolia.

'Oh you know where it's from, Shaka.' Aiolia chuckled bitterly. 'I was training with Seiya, and I just wanted to play a prank on him, just a little bit. And I overdid with it, just a little bit. But Marin was so mad at me, she said I nearly killed her little brother, and one thing lead to another, that's how I got that bruise.'

'You have a very passionate girlfriend, I must compliment.' The Virgo stated frankly while taking a sip of beer.

'Shut up, blondie.' Aiolia snapped, Shaka's speech just annoyed him more that he already was. 'She said she wouldn't meet me for one month. Can you believe it? One-freaking-month. I mean it wasn't even my fault, I didn't intend to hurt Seiya.'

'You deserve it, dull lion. If you used more of your head then you wouldn't be stuck in this kind of things.'

'Oy, you wanna fight?' The Leo hissed.

'Skip it, dull lion. I've had enough.' Shaka said with annoyance, he reached out for the bottle, pouring for himself another glass.

The short-haired saint felt somewhat amused at his best friend's reaction. Shaka was always calm and cold, it was not easy to make him lose his calmness like that. The Virgo must be in a big trouble right now.

'Oh, the thing with Mu is not going well, I can see.' Aiolia smirked teasingly. 'Did he finally realize that you are a sassy jerk and decide to break up? A wise choice, Mu.'

'Do not get on my nerve now, stupid cat. We did not break up and we never will.' Shaka growled, throwing a deadly glare at the Leo.

'Right right, you didn't.' Aiolio laughed. 'Then what was it this time? Isn't Mu always so gentle even toward a jerk like you?'

'He forbade me to touch him, and to talk to him, and to come near to him.'

'Oh, that's harsh.' Aiolia commented, though he truly felt sorry for his friend, he couldn't help grinning as he knew he was not the only one suffering. 'For how long, then?'

'For God-knows-how-long.' The blond grumbled, recalling that terrible incident with Mu really irritated him.

'Oh my dear friend Shaka, what did you do?' The Greek saint could not help his astonishment. Though he knew Shaka could be sassy and reckless sometimes, he never intended to hurt Mu, and the Aries was so kind and gentle. The couple rarely had conflicts, even if they did, they were just small incidents and got settled down quickly. Never had Mu been so fierce like this.

Shaka let out a long sigh, he took a sip of beer then began talking. 'Three days ago, at his temple, I insisted.' He paused. 'My fault, _I forgot to lock the door_.'

Aiolia blinked a few times, when he finally took what Shaka meant, he burst out laughing. 'Oh my Goddess, Shaka, and I thought you were the smart one.' The Leo had thought about much more severe and terrible situations but certainly this kind of things was not on the list. For all his life, he had never imagined his Virgo friend would make such a silly mistake. _He forgot to lock the door._

'And who saw you two? Kiki? Oh it must be Kiki.' Aiolia tried to imagine the scene, Mu must have blushed madly, being caught by his little disciple, it was beyond embarrassiment, not to mention the boy's innocent mind had been destroyed. No wonder he was so mad at Shaka.

'Yes, Kiki...' Shaka sighed, he was silent for some moments, looked annoyedly at his friend then continued, his voice suddenly became abnormally low. 'Along with Athena and _Shion_.'

Aiolia's laughter stopped immediately upon hearing the two names from Shaka, especially _the last one_. He looked at the Virgo with horror, his mind was blown away and there was only one thought left. If Shion did really see what Shaka was doing to _his beloved little disciple Mu_, then _'How the hell is that blondie still alive?' _

_Day 23, Arguing: Challenge Accomplished._

-xx-

**Golden heat**

'Should I take it off?' Shaka questioned, raising an eyebrow. He had asked Mu to fix his cloth, and now the Aries was struggling with it. All because he was doing it right when Shaka was still wearing the cloth.

'No, keep it on.' Mu replied softly, not even looking up at Shaka. He was turning left and right around the Virgo, trying to locate every crack on the cloth.

'It'll be easier for you if I will.'

'I'm the expert here, Shaka.' Mu again declined, he then gently pushed the blond toward the couch behind them. 'I'm fixing the shoulder parts, stay still.'

Shaka looked up at his lover with amazement. Mu was standing dangerously close to him, the Aries was leaning down, working on his shoulder armor. Their faces were so close that Shaka could see his image reflected in Mu's emerald eyes.

'Mu...'

'Yes?'

'Your face is so close to mine.'

'That's because I'm fixing your cloth.' Mu answered calmly, his eyes still focused on his work.

Shaka felt tensed, he had his lover right now so close to him, yet he wasn't allowed to move. But that was not the worst part, suddenly, Mu climbed onto his body and sat on his lap, his arms wrapping around his neck.

'Mu!?' The Virgo gasped.

'I'm fixing the back part, Shaka.' The Aries turned to his lover's ear and whispered sweetly, his lips almost touched Shaka's earlobe.

The blond gasped again upon feeling the green-eyed's hot breath on his ear. Mu's torso and belly were pressed against his completely, even through the thick golden armor, Shaka still felt his body temperature slowly increased due to the contact. The sweet jasmine scent from the Aries's body drove him crazy. And as Mu stretched down to reach different spots on his back, his hips moved back and fort, his body pressed harder on Shaka's, causing the blond to lose his mind. This position, this body, it was too much, too much for him. And while he was struggling with himself, trying to hold back his desire, Mu seemed to be abnormally comfortable, the Aries didn't even care how he was making his lover suffer. That was when Shaka decided he had had enough.

'My beautiful, are you trying to seduce me?' He asked, while his hands were uncontrollably moving up to hold his angel.

'Shaka, I'm working-' Mu was about to protest but suddenly shuddered as he felt cold metal touching his bare skin, Shaka's hands had slipped under his shirt and were now caressing his back.

'Hmm... no you are not, you are killing me.' Shaka's eyes filled with lust, he then turned to capture the Aries's ear. He licked and nibbled Mu's earlobe, causing a small moan from the Lemurian's lips.

'Shaka... this...'

'This is what?' The blond bit down gently then began to attack the delicate neck of his lover. He sucked the delicious skin, making the Aries moan louder. Mu had dropped his tools and was now holding Shaka tightly.

'Say, is this why you insisted on me keeping my cloth on?' Shaka asked seductively. His lips continued to attack Mu's neck while his hands grabbed Mu's shirt and started removing it

'Shaka...'

Mu trembled at the sudden cold, his torso was now fully revealed to the Virgo knight. Shaka enjoyed the delicious scene of his lover's flawless porcelain skin, he licked his lips unconsciously as his gaze landed on the rosy nipples which were already hard. However, he held back his desire to continue teasing his ram.

'Mu, is this?'

'No...' Mu protested weakly, he was now feeling extremely embarrassed.

'You are a terrible liar, love.' With no more hesitation, Shaka's lips began to attack Mu's chest, his arms seized the fragile body harder. His tongue was hot and soft, while his armor was cold and firm, the contrary made the Aries melt on the spot.

After minutes of pleasure, Shaka finally loosened his grip, Mu's chest was now deliciously soaked thanks to his caress.

'What about now?' The Virgo smirked devilishly, knew for sure the Aries beauty was intensely aroused. And just as he had predicted, Mu timidly nodded. After all, Virgo Shaka was so charming in his golden armor, who could resist that?

Totally satisfied with the answer he got, Shaka quickly removed Mu's undergarment and the armor part that covered his lower abdomen, ready for the real business.

'Shaka, the cloth is not fully fixed yet.' Mu whispered, though he himself was so roused and eager for Shaka's touch.

Sealed Mu's lips with a passionate kiss, the blond's hands continue their task to travel around the fair body while he whispered huskily between the touch, 'The cloth can wait.'

_Day 30, Doing something hot: Challenge Accomplished._

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_Surya(*): the God of Sun in Hindu mythology_

_Thank you very much for reading. For some reasons, the new chapter didn't show up after I tried uploading it the first time, so I deleted it and uploaded it again. I'm very sorry for this inconvenience._


	3. Chapter 3

_Be warned, fluff ahead. _

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**Tying the knot**

There was a secret place in the Temple of Maiden that no one knew except its guardians, the Twin Sala Trees Garden. For hundreds of years and generations of Virgo knights, the Garden was the most sacred place, where the knights could stay away from the noises and dust of the mundane life and found the peace within themselves. And for the current Virgo Saint, Shaka, it was not unpredictable that the Garden was his most favorite corner.

Following his strict ritual, the adolescent knight always spent the afternoon meditating in his holy Garden, under the twin Sala trees. However, unlike most of his predecessors, the incumbent Saint did not keep this secret garden for himself.

'Hmm?'

Shaka was unexpectedly pulled out of his deep meditation by a sudden feel of weight on his shoulder. He opened one eye and glanced over his right side, by which he caught the sight of a lavender head resting quietly on his right shoulder. The young Aries Saint was sleeping peacefully, the thick book he was reading was still laying opened on his lap.

Mu joined Shaka frequently in his afternoon meditation. He was the only one knew about the garden aside from Shaka, and it had become their secret meeting place since then. Normally the blond just sat still and meditated while the lavender-haired boy quietly sat next to him and read a book. They did not talk much but certainly talking was not really necessary in this case, the two young knights just enjoyed each other's company a lot.

Shaka was thinking of waking his friend up but when he saw Mu's peaceful sleeping face, he decided to do nothing. Mu was now so close to him, and he would never say no to the chance to contemplate the Aries beauty at a close distance like this.

The Virgo satisfactorily drank the scene of the sleeping angel beside him, could not help smiling sweetly. Mu looked so relaxed and comfortable. Was that because he was leaning on him, the blond wondered. Then shamelessly assuming he was right, Shaka chuckled again. He slightly tilted his head, breathed in the fragrance of Mu while gently tucking some of the lavender hair strands behind the angel's ear with his left hand, carefully not to wake him up.

The rosy glow of the setting sun enhanced Mu's beautiful hair color, making him even more gorgeous than he already was, thus Shaka totally forgot about his meditating ritual. In his mind right now there was only on the person next to him.

'_You would look so beautiful in sarees.' _Shaka began to fancy. _'Of red color with gold patterns, it would adorn your angelic beauty.' _

Then he realized, that red and gold were traditionally the colors of the bridal sarees. They both were only fifteen, a very young age, but in their home countries, fifteen was already considered the proper age to get married. Get married. Shaka blushed a little at his own thought. Once thinking of this, he could not shrug off the fancy of Mu in the exquisite wedding saree, standing with him side by side as they vowed their love to each other. Shaka never thought about marriage before, not because he was an enlightened being that bore no attachment, nor because he had sworn to devote his life to Athena as a Gold Saint. He just simply thought it was unnecessary. Marriage was just a ceremony, it could not change his feelings towards Mu whether it happened or not. Just having Mu by his side was enough.

But right now, Shaka was seriously considering it. Having the most precious person in his life next to him, they together celebrated the point of time from which they would spend the rest of their life as one, that was indeed sacred. With that thought in mind, Shaka took the corners of his and Mu's garments then tied them with a knot. The _Gaanth Bandhan_, the knot that represented the inseparability of the wedded couples, performed in their weddings.

The Virgo smiled to himself as he felt like he just married to Mu, and the twin Sala trees in his garden were the witnesses of their marriage. If one day they truly had the chance to get married, it would definitely happen here in this secret garden of theirs.

'Umm...' Mu lightly stirred in his sleep, unintentionally his movement snapped the Virgo out of his fancy.

Shaka quickly wrapped his right hand around Mu's shoulder and pulled the the boy into his lap to let his head rest comfortably on his chest. The Aries unconsciously rubbed his head against the other boy's chest, then fell deep into his sleep again. Apparently he was pleased with the change of position.

Shaka was relieved. For a second he had thought that Mu would wake up then figure out what was running in his head, which of course was impossible to happen. Seemed like daydreaming had somehow made a fool out of him. Decided it was enough of fantasies for today, the blond then tightened his hug, kissed his angel gently on the head then closed his eyes. It was time for him to take a short nap also.

.

Hours later, Mu woke up in surprise as he found himself being locked in Shaka's embrace. It was already dark, the Tibetan was about to sit up then he noticed that Shaka was still sleeping. Mu carefully got rid of the hug, he was thinking of getting up first then waking Shaka up later but as he stood up, the knot of their garments dragged Shaka along, causing the Virgo to fall down abruptly, and Mu, losing his balance so suddenly, also fell and hit his head on the ground.

'What was that?' Mu rubbed his forehead, still not understand what just happened.

Next to him, Shaka was totally awakened thanks to the fall, his head was also hit painfully. Glanced over the knot, the blond grumbled, _'Damn... love hurts.'_

_Day 26, Getting married: Challenge Accomplished. _

-xx-

**The disadvantage of being cute**

It would be a lie if someone said baby Mu was not the cutest baby on Earth. Because of course he was. The young Aries Saint-to-be was currently five years old, innocent and adorable like a heaven-sent angel. His big emerald eyes shone brightly, enhanced by long eyelashes and two little dots on the forehead in place of eyebrows. His lilac hair was chin-length, adorned his lovely round face and plump cheeks that occasionally turned rosy when he blushed. And to mention he was also sweet and well-behaved, Mu was the little adorable lamb whom no one could resist the urge to give a hug.

The cuteness of Mu, in the Sanctuary no one understood it better than the closest people to him, his master Shion and the other, his best friend, little Virgo Saint-to-be Shaka.

Shaka was just of Mu's age, but his intelligence and awareness were far beyond what of a five-year-old. The two young knights spent quite a lot of time with each other, and though they were still so young, Shaka was already able of coming up with lines like "You look so specially lovely today" or "How is your day, my fair one?' every time they met. But how he talked was not the problem, words like that certainly could not hurt anyone. Everything went smoothly until one day, little Shaka decided that his precious friend was really really sweet, to the point that he wanted to _taste_ him.

'Mu...' Shaka called absent-mindedly while continuously poking Mu's cheek with his finger.

'Yes?' Little Aries answered but received no response from his friend. The Virgo was still too focusing on the important task, playing with Mu's cheeks.

'Shaka?' Mu asked again. He was totally confused by his friend who was now using both hands to pinch his cheeks.

'Shaka... Mu is hurt.' Mu whined softly, not until that did Shaka let go of his cheeks.

'I'm sorry, I have not noticed.' Shaka said with an affable smile. His eyes followed the Aries tenderly as he rubbed his rosy cheeks.

Then the blond slowly closed the distance between him and his friend, he whispered to Mu's ear in a somewhat strangely shy voice. 'Does Mu hate me doing that?'

The green-eyed boy turned to look at his friend for a second then answered softly. 'No, not really...'

Smiled satisfactorily, the blond crawled nearer to the other boy and quickly kissed him on the cheek. The Aries was startled by the sudden kiss, he blushed slightly and looked away to avoid eye contact but did not protest. It was not the first time Shaka did that, and kissing on the cheek was a common way of showing affection therefore even though Mu still felt embarrassed, he did not think it was weird or unnatural for Shaka to kiss him. However his young mind might not notice that the Virgo boy kissed him too frequently to call it a normal touch between friends.

But just like words, kisses could not hurt. Mere kisses were never the problem, not until the young blond gentleman tried to do something further than that.

'Ouch!' Mu pushed Shaka away and stared at him with a mixture of shock and horror filled his eyes. The Virgo just _bit_ him, really hard.

'Mu?' The blond boy was surprised, still did not understand why he was shooed. Then took a closer look, he realized he had left a very visible bite mark on the green-eyed boy's cheek.

'Mu, I'm so sorry.' Shaka tried to approach his friend but the other just kept hiding his face and turning away.

'Mu...' The Virgo was totally confused and puzzled, he whispered weakly. 'I'm sorry I didn't mean to hurt you. I just like you so much.'

The young Aries slightly tilted his head to look at his friend, he asked suspicionally. 'If Shaka likes me then why biting me? It hurts.'

'Because... because Mu is so adorable. I just want to know what you taste like.' Shaka admitted shyly, he was feeling utterly guilty.

Mu did not say anything for several moments. Then, finally he timidly asked. 'Then, what do I taste like?'

'Sweet.' Shaka replied immediately, his eyes sparkled with joy while recalling Mu's _taste. _

'Really?'

'Really.'

Mu still hid his face behind his knees, but by the bright look in his eyes, one could easily tell he was smiling. 'But, Shaka will do it again?' He asked with a more cheerful voice but still remained cautious.

'I never want to hurt Mu.' Shaka declared firmly, but then again his voice became low when he proposed. 'But if Mu lets me, I'll be very gentle.'

'Shaka... likes that?' The Aries boy asked. His expression showed no worriment but curiosity.

'I like everything about Mu.' Again the blond boy stated decisively. He looked straight in the emerald eyes with intense seriousness.

'Then...' Mu blushed, clearly felt embarrassed at what he was going to say. He moved closer to Shaka and whispered. 'Please be gentle with me.'

.

_Few months later_

'Master Shion, you have come back.' The young Aries boy greeted cheerfully. He quickly bowed to his master, it had been months since he last saw him.

'How have you been, Mu?' Shion gently picked his little disciple up with one arm. He was a strict master on the training field but a perfectly loving father outside that.

'Mu is fine. Is master tired after the trip?' Mu asked while wrapping his arms around Shion's neck and hugging him fondly.

The Great Pope chuckled amusedly, dropped his luggage, he now held his favorite disciple with both hands. 'You're so adorable.' He said while planning to give Mu a peck on the cheek. But right at the moment the words came out of his mouth, little Mu immediately got rid of the hug and quickly hid behind his master's huge suitcase.

'Mu? What's wrong?' Shion asked in astonishment. It was the first time he saw Mu acting like this.

'Master said Mu was adorable.' The little boy murmured.

'I don't understand. What's the problem with that?'

'Mu doesn't want to be adorable. Being adorable hurts.' Mu replied timidly, he was already in the ready position of running away.

Shion was totally confused by his disciple's words. For over two hundred years living, he never heard of being adorable could hurt a person. But better let it be unknown than telling him what had happened between Shaka and Mu during his business trip. Who knew what the great father would do upon knowing his son had been devoured like that for all those months. No one wanted an early Holy War within the Sanctuary to happen at all.

_Day 28, Doing something ridiculous: Challenge Accomplished. _

-xx-

**When the mighty fall**

One calm and beautiful day in the Sanctuary, in the middle of the Golden Order meeting, Virgo Shaka suddenly stated. _'Mu, you are beautiful.'_

Obviously, after that everyone stopped whatever they were doing to stare at the source of interruption, but the Virgo knight still remained calm and quiet, as if nothing had ever happened. So after some minutes, all the other Saints decided it was just an illusion and got back to the track of the meeting.

That event would have been soon forgotten but a week later, on an afternoon tea party at the Taurus temple, this time there were only Shaka, Mu, Aldebaran, Aiolia, Milo and Aphrodite, the Virgo said the same thing again.

'Hey Alde, did Shaka just...?' Asked Aiolia in a whispering.

'Oh you heard that too? I thought I was mistaken.' The Taurus whispered back, he was staring at his Virgo friend with eyes widely opened in shock.

'Not just you, us too.' Milo joined, next to him, Aphrodite also nodded as showing agreement.

Now this time, it was absolutely not an illusion. The four Saints stared at the blond gentleman then turned their gaze to the subject that has been mentioned, Aries Mu. Just like them, Mu was also dumbfounded and staring horrifiedly at Shaka as if he just grew another head.

Knowing Mu could not provide them any adequate explanation, Aiolia raised his question towards Shaka. 'Shaka, did you, did you just compliment Mu?'

'Yes, and I see no reason why all of you are so astonished by that.' The blond answered calmly. He was still in his usual imperturbable manner. Apparently the tension in the air had no effect on him, or more precisely, he did not even realize which situation he had caused.

'_We wouldn't haven been shocked if it came from anyone other than you.' _ The five other Saints did not say anything but clearly shared the same thought. From that moment on, they knew they could never look at Shaka the same way again.

Speaking of Virgo Shaka, to explain this complex situation, it is needed to be reminded that Shaka was known as the reincarnation of the great Buddha. He was the man closest to God, and even among his Gold Saint comrades, Shaka was seen as a completely different being. Someone like him was supposed to be devoted to the Goddess and his belief without having any distraction or infatuation towards anything or anyone else. Not to mention, the Virgo always closed his eyes. Even for someone as charming and ravishing as Aphrodite, everyone was sure that Shaka didn't even know, or to be more correct, didn't even care to know what the Pisces looked like, even though they lived in the same place.

So in short, when that stoic gentleman complimented the physical beauty of a certain person, it was so out of his character that everyone rather deceived themselves that they had misheard than actually believe it. But what was said could never be taken back. Shaka had dropped the bomb and now not only him but also Mu was treated in different ways. For Shaka it might not be a problem, since he did not care about the others' opinions from the start, but for Mu it was severely troublesome.

Since everyone knew they could not possibly ask Shaka about his private life, every question was left for Mu. The poor Aries had been bothered by tons of questions like how he could change Shaka, what he did to Shaka, what Shaka did to him. All those things drove Mu crazy for he himself did not know the answers either. He was indeed closer to Shaka than most of the other Saints, but they were not that close for him to call the Virgo his best friend or anything more than that. And contributed to his misery, he saw that the blond did not seem to have any problems with the scandal he had caused. The Indian man still talked to him and visited him occasionally as if there was nothing wrong between them.

Being too stressed, Mu came to the determination of making things clear with Shaka. So one day, when Shaka visited him at his temple like usual, he decided that was the right time for him to do what he had planned.

'So, Shaka my friend, how have you been recently?' Mu asked while pouring tea for his friend. His eyes followed the blond gentleman with tense expression.

'I am all well. And you, my dear Mu, you seem to be anxious. Has there been anything troublesome?' The Virgo asked sincerely. He turned his face to the direction of Mu but still kept his eyes closed.

'Yes, I may say so.' Mu replied hesitatingly, then took a deep breath, he poured out. 'About what you said weeks ago, about you think I am beautiful, that is it.'

'Oh' was all Shaka said. Then after some moments, he continued. 'May I ask why? I do not comprehend why my statement has bothered you like that.'

'Because... it was strange for you to say that. I and our comrades, we could not imagine you would say something like this. And our friends have constantly asked me about the reason behind that, which I do not know the answer for.' The Aries replied honestly. He looked at his Virgo friend, in hope he could give him an appropriate reason.

'Well, the only reason is because I think you are beautiful, I and want to express my admiration. Which part of that is strange?' Shaka stated with the same calm emotions he always had, which made Mu even more frustrated.

'It's not strange but, I mean, we do not expect someone like you to say that.' Mu tried to find the right words to explain his thoughts, he was also embarrassed by the situation.

'Someone like me?' Shaka raised an eyebrow and questioned in a slightly surprised voice.

'Yes' Mu paused for some moments, as if to think, then continued. 'You are the man closest to God, it is not expected and normal that you would show admiration towards a single person, like me.'

'I do not call myself with that name.' Shaka slowly opened his eyes to look at Mu, which caused the Aries to startle. 'And isn't the man closest to God still a man? How can it be forbidden for a man to express what he thinks?'

'No it's not that.' Mu shook his head. 'I just, we just never thought that you would ever feel something towards me.' Only after all the words had been said that the Aries realized he was too bold to claim that Shaka had feelings for him. He immediately turned away to avoid the blond's eyes. 'I'm sorry, I was-'

'But I do have feelings for you, and now that you have learned that, what is so hard to accept it?' Shaka interrupted. He just said he had feelings for Mu in a way as if he was saying the most obvious thing on Earth, making the Tibetan nearly fell from his seat.

'You... you said what?' Mu asked in astonishment.

'I have feelings for you.' Shaka repeated clearly. 'I adore and cherish you, and I see you as the most beautiful being, not only in physical appearance but also in mind and soul.'

Mu was totally in loss for words. He kept staring at the blond as his brain prevented him from doing anything else.

'Oh, I thought you knew it already.' Shaka said as he noticed Mu's horrified expression.

'How could I? Oh for heaven's sake, how, why?'

'I would provide you the answer if I had it. But my beautiful, when it comes to you, all reasons have lost the battle and I just simply admit that I am in love.' The Virgo replied frankly. Then without hesitating a moment, he approach the Tibetan and caressed his cheek lovingly. 'My apology, I did not say it clearly enough so you were left in doubt and confusion. I will now go and confirm it to everyone in the Sanctuary, everything will be settled quickly.'

And with that he left, did not even notice how terrified the Aries currently was, and of course did not realize what kind of scandals would result from what he was going to do next. Virgo Shaka, was absolutely far beyond what normal people could imagine.

_Day 29, Doing something sweet: Challenge Accomplished._

* * *

_This is the last part of this ficlet series, thank you so much for reading, I hope it could bring you a little joy. _


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